Minister Poudel warns action against violent poll boycotts

November 4, 2013

Kathmandu: Minister for Information and Communication, Madhav Prashad Paudel, has warned action against those breaking the laws while boycotting the CA polls.
Speaking at a face-to-face interaction programme organised by Reporters Club as part of its ‘free election, campaign for democratic constitution’, Minister Poudel, however, said that the peaceful boycott of the polls was a right of boycotter.
The government will not do anything until the boycott programmes remain peaceful but will take action if they (boycotters) start breaking laws, he said. Minister Poudel party urged the Mohan Baidya-led Maoists to withdraw its bandha programmes that it has called in a bid to foil the polls. He expressed the government belief that the CPN-Maoist will not conduct its poll boycott programmes in a way that disrupt the polls. CPN-Maoist leaders have told the government during the informal talks that the poll boycott will be peaceful, Poudel added.
Minister Poudel also ruled out the possibility polls postponeponement. “Since the poll process has already moved ahead completing a long process, it is not going to defer at any cost,” Poudel said.
Referring to some cases of violence in the run up to the polls, Poudel argued that the questions raised on the overall security situation were not realistic. The government is committed to ensure security situation where the voters can come to polling booths and return to home without any sense of fears, he said.
He also defended the government’s move to deploy the Nepal Army during the polls. “Nepal Army had have some roles in all the elections except of 2008 polls. The NA will return to its barrack after fulfilling responsibility given to it during the polls, “he said. He also refuted the rumors about the NA’s report to the government that it cannot provide the security for the polls.